Fastener or clothespin



March 11, 1941. wl H. DAVIS FASTENER OR CLOTHESPIN ,Filed Oct. 2. 1939Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT 1 Claim.

This invention relates to fasteners or clothespins and has specialreference to a one piece fastener or clothespin.

One important object of the invention is to provide a novel form offastener or clothespin which can be cut and formed from a strip ofspring metal with a, minimum of waste and by few forming operations.

Asecond important object of the invention is I0 to provide a novel formof clothespin of this character wherein the pin is permanently suspendedin position to be applied to a clothes supporting wire.

A third important object of the invention is I to provide a novelclothespin of this character wherein the pin has a ilnger grip wherebyit may be conveniently grasped to draw the pin into clothes graspingposition.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide a. novelclothespin of this character having a novel finger grip for moving theclothespin laterally into position over the clothes to be secured.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafterapparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details'ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views. and:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the clothespin showing it associatedwith a pair of wire clotheslines.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the pin.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank from; which the clothespin isformed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the clothespin d@ from the lower endthereof.

The blanks for the clothespins forming this invention are cut from anarrow strip of thin metal having suitable resiliency. These blanks areof uniform width throughout and the ends ifi of the blanks are at rightangles to the side edges. Such a blank is shown at I0 in Figure 3 andhas parallel side edges II and parallel end edges I2 at right angles tothe edges II. The corners I3 of the blank are rounded off in order that,when i the pin is completed, thereA will be no sharp corners tending toinjure hands or clothes. Adjacent one end, which afterward constitutethe upper end of the pin, the metal is provided with a parallel sidedU-shaped slit I4 providing a nu tongue I5 which has its root portion I6integral with the body of the blank and extends from the root portiontoward the adjacent end edge I2. The blank is also provided with adivergingly sided U-shaped slit II providing a tongue I8 whose rootportion I9 lies between the center 5 of the blank and its upper edge I2.This tongue extends in a direction opposite the tongue I5 or downwardly.

This blank is formed into the pin by suitably bending certain portions,the finished pin having an upper body portion 20 and lower body portion2| between which portions 20 and 2| the body is forwardly archedtransversely of its length as at 22. This arched portion lies oppolasite the free portion of the tongue but is spaced slightly above thelower extremity of said tongue. The upper end of the blank, except forthe tongue I5 which lies in the plane of the body portions 2U and 2|, isbent rearwardly to form a loop or eye 23, the end edge I2 of this partof the blank 20 being close to the body portion 20 so that the eye 23 issubstantially closed. The lower end of the blank is also rearwardlycurved to an extent somewhat less than a semi-circle so as to form a:linger grip 24. 25

In use a number of pins such as have just been described are suspendedon a line wire W by running the wire through the eye 23 of each pin. Thewire W is vertically above and parallel to a clothes holding wire W',the distance be- 33 tween the two wires being such that the wire W mayengage on top of the arch portion 22 and between the tongue I8 and bodyportion 2n. Thus when an article such as is shown in broken lines at Cis positioned over the wire W one or more of the pins may be grasped bytheir upstanding tongues I5, which form finger grips, and f slid alongthe wire W until they are positioned opposite the article to be secured.The pins to be used are then successively raised to engage the articleon the wire W' between the lower end of the tongue IB and body portion2I whereupon a iinger is hooked on the grip 24 and the pin pulled downto spring the tongue I 8 away 45 from the body portion and allow thewire W' to take position as in Figure I.

There has thus been provided a simple and efficient device of the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified. 50

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstructionof the invention without departing from the material spiritthereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to theexact form herein shown and described. but it is desired to include allsuch as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new is:

A fastener or clothespin and the like consisting of a strip of metalhaving a body and pair of tongues extending in opposite directions, saidpin having a rearwardly and upwardly curved finger engageable bend atits lower end, said pin 10 having a substantially circular andrearwardly disposed line engaging loop at its upper end, one ot saidtongues extending from said body upwardly above said loop and providingmeans engageable by a nger to slide the pin along the engaged line, theother of said tongue being inclined forwardly of the body and thebodyhaving forwardly projecting bends at opposite sides of the lastmentioned tongue.

WILLIAM H. DAVIS.

